Return to the Barrowdowns
by Grendle1853
Summary: Takes place after Return of the King.  Mostly follows Sam, but has Merry and Pippin too.  Please review!


Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien. I'm just playing there.

I realise some geography is wrong now, but I can't change that without radically changing the story. As I write in the bottom, it had been a while since I sat down and read the book. I apologise for this. Please read and review though.

Samwise Gamgee, no Samwise Gardner, sat in his study, writing in his big red book. He stopped writing to rub his aching knuckles. No matter how much he wrote, he never felt he was anywhere closer to the end.

"Samwise!" his wife shouts from another room, "You have already missed TWO meals, you are not going to miss this one!"

Sam smiles and gets up from his chair to dutifully go an eat his wife's fantastic cooking. As he walks into Bag End's kitchen, stopping to kiss his wife and rub her full pregnant belly before sitting at his table. His daughter and son are already seated and digging in, and his wife (after setting Sam's plate in front of him) takes her seat to get into her all important meal.

The family is deeply into seconds when there is a knock on the hole's round front door. "Back in your seat," Rose tells Sam as he attempts to get up, "Elanor go answer the door."

Their daughter dutifully rises from her seat and disappears to the front door. She returns a few moments later, "Mommy the skinny fellow who dad calls Fatty is here and he says he needs to have a word with daddy, though he said 'The mayor', who is daddy. He said it is very important," she informs them.

Samwise chuckles, "Tell Fredegar to come in Elanor," he tells his daughter who returns to the front door.

The former 'Fatty' Bolger walks into the kitchen then behind Elanor, with his hat in his hands. "Sam, something has happened that needs your attention," he tells his friend.

"Obviously Fredegar. So come on man, don't leave me in suspense," Sam tells him, in between bites of food.

"A young girl has gone missing Sam," he says.

Sam puts down his fork, sits up straight, and wipes his mouth with his napkin. For Fredegar to come to him about this, it had to be bad, "Where Bolger?" he asks.

Fredegar sighs, "In the Barrow-downs. Less than a night so far."

Samwise, closes his eyes and thinks for a moment. Then he stands and says, "Rosey dear, pack me a lunch. Fredegar, send for Merry and Pippin. Tell them to meet me here quickly with ponies. And tell them... that it will be like old times again."

A few hours later Sam is walking through the dreary Barrow-downs, next to his long time friends Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took (both of whom stand a good head above him). They had left their ponies by the road and followed the girls trail by foot, not trusting the animals not to panic in the eerie region. Both Merry and Pippin are dressed as the knights they were, Pippin in his regalia as an elite Guard of the Citadel and Merry as a Knight of the Mark, both also have on their Elvish cloaks. They both stride on either side of Sam, as if he is royalty and they his guards. Sam himself is clothed in simple Hobbit clothes, besides his Elvish cloak and a shirt of Dwarvish Mithril mail.

The area was so dangerous (they knew from experience) that the four walk with weapons in hand. Pippin holds his sword, the one taken from a Wights barrow in this very place, Merry hefted a seemingly new Dwarven axe, and Sam carries two swords, in his right hand the Elvish blade named "Sting" in his left one he received from the very same barrow as Pippin's.

Sam turns his head slightly to the left, "You cary an axe now Merry?" he asks his friend.

"Well...when Gimli visited last year he gave this to me, saying 'ti's a pity you lost such a good weapon', meaning I guess when I helped Eowyn and my sword was destroyed," he answers.

"Didn't the give you another sword?" Sam asks.

"Yes. That however is no reason to turn down such a weapon," Merry tells him.

"Hmm...you any good with it?" asks Pippin.

"Looks like were going to find out," Merry answers.

The group carried on in silence for a bit until Sam breaks it again, "I must remember to thank old Strider for giving these lands to the Shire," he says sarcastically looking around the area again.

The other two erupt in laughter after hearing this, "Hey we've been through worse," Pippin says.

"Yeah and we've been through a Hell of a lot better as well," Merry counters.

"Do you think we could call on old Tom to help us, I remember him being very good with Barrow-wights?" Pippin asks.

"Pip, as far as we know Tom could be in the middle of his husbandly duties right now. And I would rather face a whole score of enraged wights than one slightly annoyed Tom Bombadil," Sam explains to his young friend, "Besides if we really get in trouble, Merry can just blow on that horn of his and any help will come running."

"Yes, well speaking of husbandly duties, word is that you put another one in Rosie. That true?" Merry asks.

"Yeah. If its another girl, we're naming her after Rose," Sam answers.

"Well if its another boy, you just have to name him after me," Merry tells him.

"Then your next boy must be named after me!" Pippin exclaims.

"Alright then, lets hope I'm blessed with a pair of twin boys," Sam says, to which both of his companions cheer.

The trail that they are fallowing abruptly disappears, in front of a hole that leads under the earth. Hobbits, as a rule, like holes. They live in holes and are quite comfortable underground. This hole however, does not feel very Hobbit like. In fact it feels very cold. This is a hole were dead men were laid to rest in peace. And it is evident that one of those men, is not resting. As the three stare into the hole they hear several growls come from behind them. They turn around to see that a pack of savage looking wolves has appeared out of seemingly no where, and that they have not eaten in some time.

"What are these things doing here, no sane animal comes into this forsaken place?" asks Pippin.

"You've answered your own question Peregrin, they've gone mad with hunger," answers Sam.

Compared to the horrors the party had seen, fought, and defeated, the beasts did not seem to be a threat. However the sheer number of them did make them quite a distraction.

Merry sighs, "Sam, your the smallest one of us, so you can maneuver in that tunnel better. So you go first, me and Pippin will follow after we deal with these," he says.

Sam looks into the pitch black hole, which holds an undead thing at its end... "Yeah thanks guys," he says, steeping forward.

Pippin stops him, "Wait a second Sam," he pulls out a glass vial with a string wrapped around it, "take this with you."

Inside the vial Sam can see a piece of gray-green flesh, "What is this?" he asks Pippin.

"A bit of an orc we found on the edge of Tookland," Pippin explains.

"Eew. Why are you giving me this?" he asks.

"Look at Sting," Pippin directs him.

Sam looks down to find Sting glowing a luminous blue. "How thoughtful," he says with still a bit of sarcasm, hanging the thing around his neck. As he descends into the inky blackness of the hole he says back, "Thanks Pip."

As he leaves, the skirmish between the two Hobbit knights and the hungry beasts begins.

Sam walks calmly down the masterfully carved tunnel, his glowing Elvish blade lighting his way. As he walks, he can't help but remember his lost companion, and though he is sadden by the memory, he is also moved to happiness by it. Such mirth does he have, that he actually begins to sign softly to himself as he descends. It doesn't take him long to come to the chamber at the end of the corridor. All over the room are kingly riches piled, enough to make any man or Hobbit rich beyond their wildest dreams. In the middle of the room was a open space, in which lay the Hobbit girl. She had been redressed in white, and across her throat lays a gleaming thin sword. Her eyes are closed and her skin has gone deathly pale, but one can see that she yet breaths.

Crouched not a foot behind her, is a once human thing. Its grayish body is clothed all in white, with gleaming gold jewelry and a crown upon its garish head. It is kneeling down whispering sweet things into the young girls ear.

Sam points Sting at the creature and shouts, "Barrow-wight!" Its head shoots up and it looks at Sam, as if it has just now realized that he is there. "I've come to take the girl. I'm leaving here with her," he tells the creature.

In a hissing voice that seems to come more from the darkness around him than the creature's mouth, Sam hears, _"No! She is mine!" _With that the creature stands, revealing it to be far taller than the Hobbit, and carefully picks up the thin sword off of the girls neck. _ "I'll kill you before I'd let you take her!"_

Samwise Gardner, was originally Samwise Gamgee. He was a gardner. A simple Hobbit who had not every gone out of the Shire, or had ever even dreamed of facing anything more terrifying than Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. That Samwise would have been frozen in fear by the sight of the creature. But that was long ago, and he was not the same Samwise. Samwise Gardner now _**smiles**_ at the creature, "Friend, I've faced horrors many times scarier than you. And even if I hadn't, I would rather die trying to save her, than leave her here with you," he tells the monster.

As the darkness screams in anger around them, the undead thing leaps over the girl and brings its blade down at the Hobbit. Sam easily blocks the blow with the sword in his left hand, and drives Sting into the creature's gut. The scream changes to a cry of pain as wight stumbles back. Sam holds up Sting's glowing blade, "This is enchanted Elvish steel. Give me the girl and I'll be nice and just let you rot here, without ever having to feel it again," he tells the wight.

Undeterred, the creature charges forward, swinging its sword erratically. It had been many summers since Sam held steel in his hands, but still he expertly parries all the blows, then delivered one of his own. With a downward swing he severs the wight's sword hand at the wrist, sending it down to the floor where it crumbles into dust. The thing falls to its knees, holding the stump of its right arm. "Give it up!" Sam shouts at it.

The wight throws itself at Sam, jaw forward, hoping to rip off his face. The Hobbit stands his ground, and thrusts his Elivish blade forward, impaling the monster's skull. The creature shudders violently, then crumbles to dust. Sam shakes his head sadly, then sheathes his unglowing sword. He kneels before the girls prone form, then picks her up with one arm and awkwardly carries her out, holding Sting forward to light their way.

When they reach the outside, the battle is nearly over. Most of the wolves have either been slain or have run off. The last one stood looking angerly between Merry's bloodied axe, and Pippin's bloodied sword. When Sam emerged from the earth, it sees the tender child he holds in his arms, and makes a dive for her, perhaps trying to feel meat again between its jaws before it is struck down. It's hopes are dashed however, for Sam quickly dispatches it with one sweep of his sword, which sends the wolf to the ground in two separate places.

Pippin and Merry look slightly embarrassed, "Sorry about that Sam," they say in unison.

Sam shakes his head, "Its ok," he tells them. He sheathes his sword finally and takes the girl more easily in both of his arms.

Pippin looks down at the girl in Sam's arms, "Is she alright?" he asks.

"I think she will be fine," he tells him.

As the three look down at the sleeping child she moans in her sleep, "Thank you...for saving me," she says, never opening her eyes. The three heroes smile and carry the girl home.

Sorry if its a bit OOC, its been a while since I've sat down and read the book. Please review!


End file.
